Scott Alarik

Excerpts:

“...I can just hear the harmonics at the end, and Tom Rush saying, "She's gone everywhere but home". Both players and listeners of folk music can get completely wrapped up in this story.”

— Daisy Nell, ballad singer

“...His debut novel, Revival, tackles the Boston folk scene with vision and style; and his protagonists, Nathan and Kit, are as vividly alive as any two musicians I know. I look forward to meeting them both backstage somewhere soon…”

— Alastair Moock, songwriter

““At times it was like reading a bit of my own life, which felt like a rare thrill. I mean, how often do you get to read a novel set in your exact professional community that feels one hundred percent believable!””

— Antje Duvekot, singer-songwriter

“..."Revival" is a tender meditation about supporting each other's highest dreams, even when they differ from our own.”

— Shannon Heaton, Irish musician.

“...Scott leads us to understand why folk music is relevant in today’s culture...”

— Geoff Bartley, songwriter, bluesman, Geoff Bartley

“Music lifts us up – so does Scott Alarik’s Revival... This finely wrought, emotionally gripping tale, told with great humor, also contains a wealth of practical information on the quixotic task of attempting to make a living and a life in the crazy, wonderful world of folk music.”

— Si Kahn, Songwriter, Activist, and Author

“Scott Alarik’s novel Revival is much more than a great fictionaltake on the world of folk music from an insider. This love story setin and around Harvard Square belongs in the larger world of Americanmusic and letters. Alarik has crafted authentic characters and drawn agraceful line along what Paul Simon called “the arc of a love affair.”The characters are wiser in the end, and the reader is richer.Congratulations, Scott; like the best folk songs, this book shouldreach many people and travel far.”

— John Gorka, Singer/songwriter

“One could read this as a simple love story between two people but it is also about a greater love affair between them and their craft, their ambition, their loneliness, and the alchemy of song.”

— Meg Hutchinson, singer-songwriter

“Scott Alarik is one of the best writers in America.”

— Pete Seeger

“The finest folk writer in the country.”

— Dar Williams

“"[Alarik] mixes rich, sweet ballads which remind us why folk music got popular in the first place with some original gems that seem timeless, yet manage to sneak in a populist message much needed by anyone keeping up with the news."”

— Timothy Mason, Music Manager, Club Passim

“"Alarik doesn’t hold back: he shows us the thrill, the passion, the fear, the dark despair that is every performer’s lot...You will find Revival: A Folk Music Novel a fascinating meditation on music, art, and the meaning of mature love."”

— The Bowed Bookshelf

“A gripping novel…it would be a very indifferent reader who doesn’t become emotionally involved with Nathan, Kit and their friends. Revival is a joyous celebration of life and music and one that deserves to be widely read.”

“Whether you want to be a good folk musician, a good blog, or just a good person, you really need to read, and ponder this novel.”

— Aldon Hynes, Orient Lodge blog

“...I strongly recommend this book to any music fan, you will not be disappointed.”

— Doug Dick, radio host, WVGN, Virgin Isllands.

“The story is timeless as it expertly weaves through the character’s emotional labyrinth of talent, ambition, promise, and disappointment.”

— Brian O’Donovan, host, A Celtic Sojourn, WGBH.

“Scott Alarik's prose, like his songs and his music criticism, is written in a voice that impels us to follow the best that is in us.”

— Barry Lynn, , host, Culture Shocks, director, Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

“A beautiful novel…Alarik’s sense of place and inspiring use of metaphor creates a world of understanding, comfort and broken dreams that perfectly represent the community to which he tips his hat…a wonderful window into the world of folk music, the dreams of an artist, and a reminder that what we want and what we need are rarely the same thing. It was a total joy to read.”

— Lydia Hutchinson, Performing Songwriter

“The independent recording scene, folk music radio and publications are all are part of the primer that should make this book essential reading for any aspiring performer – and for anyone who cares about the scene.”

— Mike Regenstreif, Folk Roots/Folk Branches with Mike Regenstreif

“A fascinating introduction to folk music and a joyous celebration of folk musicians and their world… succinctly examines people reexamining themselves and finding the courage to move forward.”

— Carol Gladstein, Booklist

“What Readers Are Saying:

This land is your land; this book is your book. L.C.W.

An absolutely amazing book. If you love folk music, get it! - H.L.

Peronally speaking, this is becoming one of the most . . . if not the most . . . important novel of my adult life. - J.H.

A really wonderful human story about artists and the people who love them. - C.S.

How could it get better... a story, reading, folk music....? - B.A.

A Great Folk Music Love StoryI love folk music, and I like love stories, so this book fulfilled both of those interests for me. A great read! And I just heard it won the 2011 Ben Franklin Silver Award for fiction! Congrats to Scott Alarik, a fine story teller, and a fine musician too. iTunes customer review”

“"It has been my pleasure many times to follow him onstage, and I have rarely found an audience in such a good mood as when he's just been there."”

— Garrison Keillor, host, "A Prairie Home Companion"

“Alarik is the "complete folk entertainer...a rich-voiced balladeer and songwriter...expert weaver of tales, and a droll comic between songs.”

— Daniel Gewertz, Boston Herald

“Alarik has a voice as rich and natural as the rumbling of the earth, and a remarkable ability to write original songs that seem steeped in timeless tradition.”

— Greg Linder, City Pages

“"A singer-songwriter and storyteller with a melodic bass-baritone voice and delightfully wry backbeat wit. His ballads and story-songs are beautifully crafted."”